Videos

These videos are intended to help students of legal studies and law, and members of the community, understand important legal principles. They were recorded at Law Week Law Talks in Melbourne in May 2014, apart from Coroner Caitlin English, who was speaking at Law Week Law Talks in Melbourne in May 2015.

The speaker is the Hon. Philip Cummins AM, Chair of the Victorian Law Reform Commission and a former Supreme Court judge. Mr Cummins was speaking on 15 May 2014 at a Law Talks event held by the Victorian Law Reform Commission and the Victoria Law Foundation, at the State Library of Victoria.

1 The standard of proof. Why our legal system is based on proof, and how the standard of proof differs in criminal and civil courts.

2 Testing the proof. How proof is tested in courts.

3 Juries and evidence. The role of the jury, and how a jury decides the facts of the case.

4 The judge and sentencing. How the role of the judge differs from that of the jury, and what factors are involved in sentencing.

5 Bail and parole. The purposes of bail and parole, and how they differ.

6 Legislation and judge-made law. What are the differences between laws made by parliaments and by judges?

7 Structure of the courts. The court system in Victoria and Australia can be seen as similar to a pyramid.

8 Law as a degree and a career. The benefits of studying law, how to get into law courses, and some of the careers it can lead to.

The Coroners Court, adversarial and inquisitorial systems

Coroner Caitlin English of the Coroners Court of Victoria discusses the differences between the adversarial and inquisitorial systems, and explains how the Coroners Court fits in. She provides examples of how the Coroners Court contributes to public health aand safety.

Part 1: The Coroners Court and the inquisitorial process.

Part 2: Contrasting the adversarial and inquisitorial systems.

Part 3: How a Coroners Court works. Shared features of adversarial and inquisitorial systems. Death rates in Victoria, causes of death, and when deaths are reported to the Coroners Court.

Part 4: How the Azaria Chamberlain case resulted in changes to the ways Coroners Courts consider evidence.

Part 5: Practical recommendations that Coroners Courts make to improve public health and safety.

The jury system

The Juries Commissioner Paul Dore explains how the jury system works in Victoria.

1 The benefits of the jury system

2 How citizens become jurors

3 Our expectations of jurors

Alternative dispute resolution and mediation

Gina Ralston, Dispute Settlement Centre of Victoria, explains about alternative dispute resolution and mediation. What is mediation, how does it work, and what are its advantages compared with going to court?